gecko

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.

Copyright The Columbia University Press

gecko (gĕk´ō), small or medium-sized lizard of the family Gekkonidae. Some 1,500 species are distributed throughout the warm regions of the world, mostly in the Old World. Despite folklore to the contrary, their bite is not poisonous.

Many gecko species are arboreal, while others inhabit human dwellings. Most lack movable eyelids and have characteristic pads on the undersides of their feet that enable them to cling to smooth surfaces and to run upside down on ceilings. The pads contain microscopic backward-projecting hairs covered by tiny pads that may generate an adhesive force through van der Waals attractions (see intermolecular forces). Geckos are unique among lizards in that they possess voices, and different species make characteristic sounds. They feed on small animals, chiefly insects. Nearly all lay eggs.

The largest species is the 14-in. (35.5-cm) tokay, Gekko gecko, of SE Asia. The wall gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, of the Mediterranean region is commonly seen basking by day on walls and rocks; it hunts by night. There are two native species in the United States, the leaf-fingered gecko (Phyllodactylus tuberculatus) of extreme S California and Baja California, and the banded, or ground, gecko (Coleonyx variegatus) of the deserts of the SW United States and N Mexico. The latter is a ground-dwelling form and lacks foot pads. In Florida there are several introduced West Indian species as well as the widely distributed Turkish gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, originally from Africa.

Geckos are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Gekkonidae.

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Gekkonidae

Gekkonidae (geckos; order Squamata, suborder Sauria) A family of insectivorous, mainly nocturnal lizards in which the eye has a vertical pupil and spectacle (no eyelids). The skin is soft with sparse horny tubercles. The toes usually have transverse rows of hooked lamellae for adhesion. The tail is used as a fat store, and is capable of autotomy. Gekko gecko (tokay gecko or great house gecko) of south-east Asia and Indonesia is one of the largest geckos, growing up to 35 cm long, and is strong and aggressive, feeding on small reptiles, birds, and mammals as well as insects; its common name refers to its call of ‘to-kay’. There are more than 400 species of geckos, distributed widely in warm latitudes. One species, the common house gekko (Hemidactylus bibronii), has been spread all around the tropical world by human agency, mainly as an insecteater, but also simply for its attractiveness.

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gecko

gecko Any of c.650 species of lizards, native to warm regions of the world. They owe their remarkable climbing ability to minute hooks on their feet. They make chirping calls. Length: 3–15cm (1–6in). Family Gekkonidae.

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